Camping at Songjeong Beach

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

Photos by David Smolak. Check out his Instagram and Tumblr for more of his photography.

After a pretty disastrous camping experience on Bijindo Island in early June, I was feeling slightly wary that “Camping at Songjeong Beach” was one of the last fixtures on my Korean Bucket List. To give you some context, I was incredibly under-prepared to sleep in the sand at Bijindo. I brought no bedding of any kind; light, ineffective clothing, and very little food for an overnight stay under the stars on a relatively deserted island. I’ve had some pretty terrible slumbers during my time in Asia (Tokyo stairwells, anyone?), and Bijindo certainly qualifies as one of the worst.

Thankfully, every situation is one to learn from, so when the last weekend of June was all cloudless and sun-drenched, I decided I would go whole-hog on preparing for a night and day at Songjeong Beach. Three bags full of blankets, pillows, chunky sweaters, sweatpants, and a two-person tent later, I was hailing a cab with my fellow Montrealer, David, our sights set for Songjeong Beach.

I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed the atmosphere of Songjeong Beach (my last visit there was in mid-August 2013). Comparatively smaller than Haeundae and Gwangalli, Songjeong was still teeming with the excited chatter of groups sipping soju and wild shrieks of children building sandcastles when we arrived at 10:30PM. After we set up our sleeping arrangements, we gathered the necessary supplies for a “millennial sleepover” – beers, snacks, and plenty of ammunition for a three hour game of “Never Have I Ever”, all to the tune of crackling fireworks exploding overhead. It was truly the childhood experience I had never had!

Overnight at Songjeong was much more restful than Bijindo had been, although, the tent basically became on oven at around 7AM with the sunrise. David and I rose with it, taking an early morning dip in the ocean and settling into a day of sunbathing. Eventually, the locals of Busan’s famed “surf beach” began to spill out of the numerous surf shacks lining Songjeong’s main strip. We watched a dozen surfers warming up, their brows dripping and tensing up with sweat and pain under the hot sun. They took to the water and rode baby waves onto the shore until well into the late afternoon. Around them, children splashed and frolicked happily under the hot sun and their parents’ reproachful eyes. David and I took in the sights and sounds of Songjeong Beach until the sun disappeared behind the clouds at around 5PM. With my sunburn in tow, I headed back to Haeundae at the close of yet another weekend in Busan.

Songjeong Beach is the perfect location for those looking to camp in Busan on a sunny weekend – a small and quiet beach buzzing with families and couples, offering a great ambiance. The biggest draw for those Frugal Freddies is that Songjeong is free of charge for camping, and thus, totally free of troubles.

Directions
To get to Songjeong Beach, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Haeundae Station (stop 203), and go out exit 7. From here, take either Bus No. 100, 100-1, 139, or 142. The ride should take approximately 20 minutes, depending on traffic. Get off at Songjeong Station and walk 600 meters until you reach the beach. Alternatively, a cab from Haeundae should cost approximately ₩5,000.

Bujeon Market

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

What originally started as a simple trip to H&M in Seomyeon quickly turned into a detour into the heart of Busan’s largest indoor market.

Located in one of Busan’s commercial centres, Seomyeon, Bujeon Market occupies over a half dozen streets and alleys. There are literally no vacant stands – every stall is filled, with vendors selling everything from fresh produce to ajummas visors to sides of pork to cow heads to fresh seafood. There are smiling ajusshis spraying down buckets of fish and and crustaceans with a hose. There are the unsmiling ajummas separating the good onions from the bad. There are cats and dogs with seemingly no owner wandering around on top of giant stacks of ginger and garlic cloves.

The market itself is obscenely cheap, especially on the produce side. I almost felt pangs of jealousy for those who live closer to Seomyeon than I. While I do enjoy my own neighbourhood market (Jungdong Market), Bujeon is one stop shopping for anything and everything that is lacking from your new (or old) Korean apartment/kitchen.

The atmosphere of Bujeon Market is relatively relaxed, despite the larger crowds. It’s perfect for people-watching, so grab a seat in the middle of the market on one of the circular stumps in the waiting area for a brief repose. Life feels much easier when you’re simply cocking your head towards the direction of a persistent vendors trying to attract you to their booth, or perusing barrels of grains and nuts for a new yogourt topping.

Directions
To get to Bujeon Market, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Seomyeon Station (stop 219). Take exit 15 and walk straight out for about five minutes. Bujeon Market will be down multiple side streets on your left.

Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival

This is a Korean Bucket List post. Check out the rest of my list here.

A word to the wise: if you are a Type-A person intent on finishing everything on a fixed Bucket List, and have travel plans to a neighbouring city for a cherry blossom festival at the break of dawn, do not dance until 3:30AM at a club called Ghetto to “Drunk in Love”. Call it a night at 11AM after a single drink at the local watering hole, and get a good night’s sleep. Otherwise, you are going to hate your entire life. This personal anecdote brought to you by the Bad Decisions Council of Busan.

The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, otherwise known as the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival, is one of South Korea’s largest, held in unison with the commemoration of  famed admiral Yi Sun Shin. The festival took place this year from April 1st to 10th, when the cherry blossoms are looking the most beautiful of all (I apologize, but all Mulan references are justified).

Steph, Mary, and I woke up at an obscene hour to catch the bus to Jinhae to witness the spectacle. Given that the three of us slept in my twin bed for a grand total of three hours, we were in a bad place. Steph, ever the responsible one, ushered us out of bed to brush our teeth. I was so tired in fact, that after I got the toothpaste on my brush, I returned to my bed to brush them there. Soon, we were on the metro to Sasang, at the bus terminal to buy a ticket, and on the road to Jinhae.

I wish I could tell you that the rolling countryside en route to Jinhae was a dazzling grassland with sweeping mountains as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately, I was busy catching flies, mouth wide open and reclined backwards in my chair.

Once we arrived at the festival, we immediately began to look for the Yaejwacheon Romance Bridge, as advertised in all of the South Korean travel blogs as the “must see place in Jinhae”. Eventually, after following swarms of tourists from the train tracks onwards, we reached Jinhae’s cherry blossom mecca.

The stream really was the perfect spot. Lined with cherry blossom tree after cherry blossom tree, petals lightly rained down upon us as we ventured further along. We stopped for our requisite yoga photos (catch my crow below), and mostly gazed dumbfounded, partially from exhaustion, partially at the beauty of Korean nature. I like to think given my inarticulateness, my face seemed to say, “damn, nature – you pretty!”

Some of the festival’s other main attractions apart from the Yaejwacheon Romance Bridge included the Jinhae Inland Water Eco Park, the famed Gyeonghwa Train Station, the Mt. Jehwang Park Monorail, and Anmin Hill. According to the festival brochure, all of these places offered “beautiful views of the spring cherry blossoms” and were “sure to wow visitors”. We did end up passing the train station and the monorail, both of which I would have marvelled more at had I enjoyed an eight hour sleep. Alas, the appreciation was still there.

Apparently, there was also a military band parade and a multimedia fireworks show during the festival. I feel like, even if I had been in the general vicinity of these things, I wouldn’t have even noticed them happening because I was so fatigued.

The girls and I ended our time at the Jungwon Rotary, which acted as the festival’s main venue, replete with stages, markets, and booths. This was not before a pair of eldery ajummas ran up to Mary and literally gave her a smack bottom. I guess they enjoyed her Teeki leggings? We half-watched (what I’m assuming was) a memorial for the late Admiral, and half-rested our eyes as the sun beat down upon us.

In the aftermath of the festival, I felt a little guilty for not enjoying it more in the moment due to lack of sleep. That said, I was coherent enough to know what a beautiful place I was in, and I’m sure you would too, should you visit Jinhae. Just… get some sleep before, I guess.

Directions
To get to Jinhae, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Sasang Station (stop 227). Go out exit 3, turn left, and walk straight towards the Seoubu Bus Station. Buy a ticket to Jinhae for ₩4,500. The bus takes about 50 minutes (I think, I was asleep/incapacitated for the majority of it). From the Jinhae Bus Station walk straight for about 15 minutes to reach the festival grounds. Entrance to the festival is free.

The Busan Museum

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

Did I really visit the Busan Museum? Frankly, the entire thing was a bit of a boring blur. After departing the UN Memorial Cemetery with Mary and Steph, we came across the museum by accident. In a very “YOLO, let’s go learn some things!” moment, the three of us entered the museum. We left about fifteen minutes later, probably less knowledgeable about Busan than we had been upon entrance.

The Busan Museum itself seems fairly curated. It has two main exhibition halls – one devoted to habitation in Busan, spanning across the Palaeolithic, Samhan, Silla, Samguk, and Joseon Periods, and the other devoted to modern and contemporary Busan. The latter also features an exhibit on Korean-Japanese relations.

The museum maybe tries to pack too great a punch, and suffers from “information overload”. I found the lighting made the entire place feel a little desolate, but overall, I think I was just more interested in talking to Mary about our applications to school for the fall.

No offense meant to the Busan Museum, but you were the tiniest and most boring blip on my Korean Bucket List radar so far. Keep hustling, though. If it’s any consolation, I would have enjoyed you much more as a field trip with my kindergarten students.

Directions
To get to the Busan Museum, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Daeyeon Station (stop 213). Go straight out exit 3, take your first right, and proceed straight for about 10 minutes. The Busan Museum will be on your left. Entrance to the museum is free (thank goodness).

Igidae Park

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

I was enlightened about the wonders of the Igidae Park coastal walk after a conversation with one of my former Korean co-teachers.

“Jenny Teacher, remember when we were crossing the Gwangalli Bridge for the field trip? What was that giant green building on the left side of the bridge called The View? It look so interesting.”

“Ah, yes – that is the Igidae Park area. It is very popular amongst Busan locals for its hiking and views of the city. My husband and I go all the time, it’s very beautiful.”

My interest about Igidae Park was officially piqued after this conversation, especially as I had already had an amazing time on a coastal walk near Songdo Beach with Mary and Steph.

After exploring and lunching in the nearby Daeyeon area, we grabbed a (series of) cab(s) to the park. I say “series of” because each and every cab driver we said “Igidae Park-uh” to offered a perplexed look in response. Eventually, we came across a driver who knew the way, but heed my advice: it will be in your interest to know how to instruct your cab driver to Igidae in Korean or to have a photo readily available. It will save yourself some time in the relatively cab-less Namcheon area.

The etymology of the park’s name comes from an absolutely insane story of revenge, involving Japanese lords during Japan’s occupation of Busan, Korean comfort women (known as “Gisaengs”), and the surrounding cliffs of Igidae. Disgusted at the thought of being concubines to the Japanese imperialists, two of the Gisaengs grabbed one of the inebriated officers and threw themselves below. Perhaps you can discern from the photos below, but just in case you can’t, THE AREA IS ABSURDLY ROCKY AND THEY DIED (assuming the legend is true). This legend is simultaneously empowering and points out exactly how damaging nationalism can be to one’s psyche.

Igidae Park boasts a 5.2 kilometer hiking trail around the perimeter of Jangsanbong Mountain, adjacent to Gwangalli Beach. The entire hike around the seawall can take anywhere from 2 to 2 1/2 hours, and offers beautiful views of Busan’s cityscape. While we didn’t make it around the entire coast, (read: we were lazy and kept getting distracted by taking the “perfect yoga photo” – derp), we easily could have since the terrain itself was fairly undemanding.

The girls and I ended our day at Igidae Park with a heart-to-heart on the coast. The atmosphere of the park was so serene and I felt a renewed sense of vitality watching the sun go down with my people.

Much like the Songdo Coastal Walk, Igidae Park is off of most foreigner’s radars, and yet takes advantage of Busan’s most appealing features – its coastline, mountain ranges, and towering skyscrapers. Spread news of Igidae Park widely, because as you know, secrets don’t make friends.

Directions
To get to Igidae Park, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Namcheon Station (stop 211). Go straight out exit 3 and proceed down Suyeong-ro for about 3 minutes. Take the first left and continue walking, past the Metro grocery store and under the overpass. Eventually, you will  see an ostentatious building called “The View”. Take the stairs up on the left side to reach the park. The walk to Igidae takes about 20 minutes. Additionally, a cab from Namcheon Station costs approximately ₩4,500, depending on traffic. Entrance to the park is free.